A Tragedy
by immortalnite666
Summary: "I'm not the protagonist of a novel or anything but if, for arguments' sake, you were to write a novel with me as the lead role, it would certainly be a tragedy." -Kaneki Ken
1. Chapter 1

Kaneki sipped his cup of coffee, watching the TV in the corner of his favourite coffee shop, Anteiku.

"...Body was found on the streets early this morning. The police drones have confirmed that it was a male, but their operators are refusing to reveal the man's profession or his name."

The newscast flashed a picture of a man with a large blossom of red on the front of his shirt, his face holding the sickly pallor of death. Kaneki felt his stomach twinge in protest and he glanced away. Suddenly no longer feeling like drinking his coffee, he set it down. He felt his pocket buzz as his phone received a new text. He pulled it out, glancing at the ID and the time. It was only Hide texting him, so he just put his phone back in his pocket, deciding he'd respond when he got home. Besides, his favourite book store closed in a hour and he had just finished his last book. Kaneki quickly paid for his coffee and exited the café, hurrying down the street. He hugged his jacket to him a little tighter as the wind began to pick up, sending the sakura blossoms dancing down the street. He approached the bookstore and hurried in gratefully, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the cute girl who worked there. Rize was her name. He really needed to work up his courage to talk to her someday. He contemplated going over to her and asking for a recommendation, but then decided against it. Shaking his head to himself, he walked back into the rows of book to search for a good one. He found himself drawn to one book, and he pulled it out without even glancing at the title. The summary was pretty vague, but still promising. He sat down on the floor in front of the shelf and began to read his selection. Kaneki felt himself being drawn into the book more and more as the story progressed, totally loosing track of time. When a hand landed on his shoulder, he jerked back into reality and almost shrieked to find a face so close to his.

"Oops, gomen. I didn't mean to scare you! It's just, it's kinda closing time now."

Rize laughed and sat back. Kaneki felt his face heat up rapidly and he fought to keep a stutter out of his voice.

"Oh! I'm sorry!"

Kaneki stood up and reached to help Rize up. They went up to the front desk so Kaneki could pay for the book.

"Ooh, this is a good book! I've read it before, of course, but I'm pretty sure this is a special edition of this book, so it might be a bit different."

Rize said excitedly. Kaneki nodded.

"Yea, I love this authour. I have a soft spot for murder mysteries."

Kaneki handed Rize the money over the counter and she gave him a bag with his new book in it.

"I do like murder mysteries, but lately they kind of scare me, with all these rebels going around killing drones. One of the incidents last week happened right outside my apartment! I can't believe there are actually people who defy the law like that. What would they do to humans? It's terrifying, sometimes I can barely sleep at night."

Kaneki's eyes widened and he turned to look at her, surprised.

"That's near you? Wow, I'm so sorry. You must be really brave."

He walked with her out of the shop, stopping to wait as she locked up the bookstore.

"Hey, Kaneki, would you mind... um... walking me home? Don't go out of your way or anything, but if you're going that direction anyway..."

Rize looked down, seeming flustered. Kaneki smiled reassuringly at her.

"Of course I'll walk you home!" Rize's face lit up and she smiled at him.

"Oh, thank you."

They started off down the street chatting casually.

"I don't want to be mean or anything, Rize, but wouldn't the police drones protect you if anything happened?"

Kaneki said cautiously. Rize blushed a little and shook her head.

"Well, I don't know. Please don't tell anyone this, Kaneki-kun, but I don't trust the drones. One time, I was walking home just before curfew, and I saw one of them attacking a homeless man. The poor guy spent every day on the same street corner, begging for money, never doing anything wrong. Then one night, he gets attacked and the next day he's not on the street corner. Personally, I think I agree more with the rebels sometimes."

She said. Kaneki looked at her, surprised.

"Really? I've never actually thought about who I would side more with. I'm not really even sure what the rebels 'side' is anyway."

Kaneki shrugged. They turned down one side street at Rize's direction.

"What I've heard is that basically it's a group of humans with robotic parts that dislike the way the government is run by predominantly robots. I think right now they are looking for a code that could destroy the mainframe that controls the robots. A virus."

Rize said nonchalantly. Kaneki furrowed his brow in confusion.

"How do you know that? I haven't heard about anything like that on the news. And isn't that take on the government a little hypocritical?"

Kaneki asked. Rize stopped to looked at him, her face partially covered by the shadow the construction site to their left cast in the afternoon light.

"Rize?"

She smiled at him a little creepily.

"It's okay Kaneki-kun. It would be unfair of me to expect you to see our side of the story. You're only human, after all."

Kaneki started and backed away in shock. The iris of Rize's left eye had turned red and the white of her eye had taken on a more grey, mechanical glint.

"Aww, I can see your blood pressure rising, Kaneki-kun. I hope this answers your question about how I know so much. Now, I kinda need that book you got. It's just a teensy bit important. This isn't an official mission for me, per se, but hopefully if I get the book from you the manager will forgive me for killing a human."

She advanced on Kaneki, making him stumble back in panic. Suddenly, a loud crack cam from above and they both looked up. The outline of a safety droid wheeled away from the crane up on the construction site as a truckload of I-beams came tumbling down towards them. Both stared in shock at the beams as the realised almost simultaneously that they would not be fast enough to move and not get hit. The beams struck Kaneki's left side hard, pushing him down under their crushing weight. A dull pain exploded in his head and he heard a feminine scream just before he blacked out.

Kaneki slowly swam back to consciousness. He was lying on something soft, a bed? In a white room, a hospital? As his vision cleared more, he looked around. He was indeed on a bed in a hospital. His left arm was in a cast, but other than that, he felt fine. Gingerly reaching a hand up, he felt along his head, remembering the pain he had felt there. It was sore around his eye, but felt fine other than that. The door to the room opened and a man in a doctor's coat walked in.

"Ahh, Kaneki, how are you doing?"

Kaneki looked up. The man smiled warmly, shutting the door with his foot. Kaneki's eye twitched awkwardly and suddenly his field of vision changed. The doctor's skin became almost translucent, and Kaneki could see colours rushing around under his skin. Blue raced down to his legs as he walked towards Kaneki, red and yellow swirling around his brain and eyes as he looked at his face. The doctor's heart sped up and Kaneki watched it contract in amazement and fear.

"Kaneki-kun?"

He jerked his attention- and vision- back to the doctor.

"What just happened?"

He whispered, scared to make any move in his body that might trigger the strange sights again. The doctor just smiled, looking overly pleased with himself.

"My name is Kanou. When you and Kamashiro-san were walking, a cable in a nearby construction site collapsed. The beams the cable had been supporting fell on you both, killing her and injuring you. Fortunately, with the way they fell, only parts of you were caught under the beam. Some internal organs, and your left eye. We performed emergency surgery on you to save your life, using Kamashiro-san as an impromptu organ donor. The internal organ transplants went smoothly, however, there was an unforeseen complication with your eye. Kamashiro-san, it seems, was one of the few people who was injured during the time when bionic transplants were acceptable and not outlawed by the Government. So the eye that we gave you, her eye, is robotic."

Kaneki stared at him in total shock. They did what?

"I hope you will continue to see us after released by the hospital, so we can monitor your progress. Of course, it isn't required that you do so, only recommended."

The doctor sat down on the edge of Kaneki's bed.

"Can I ask you what you saw when I walked in? You gasped, so I assume something was off."

Kaneki nodded and tried to explain what he had seen.

"Um, well I saw your bones and muscles, as though your skin was transparent. Bolts of blue shot down to your legs from your brain every time you moved them. When you looked at my eyes, I saw yellow and red around your brain and eyes."

Kanou nodded, making noted on a clipboard.

"The red is likely curiosity, the yellow fear, panic or alarm. The blue was probably the electrical signals in my nerves. It's truly amazing you could see that. Kamashiro-san reported after her surgery being able to see bone and muscle structure, as well as strong emotions, but nothing to this extent! It must be the way we connected the optic nerves this time. The colours are probably not actually there, but rather your brain's way of processing the information you see into something comprehensible."

Kaneki just nodded blankly. His mind was a thousand metaphorical miles away, having a panic attack about whether or not he would suddenly go crazy and turn against the government, henceforth devoting his entire life to destroy the peace in life that he once took for granted.

 _But, you know, it's not like this is a book so that's totally not foreshadowing._

He thought to himself. But really, he didn't understand what made the rebels, who were all part mechanized in some way, turn against the government, and, as was natural of humans, therefore feared it because of his lack of knowledge. Finally, Kaneki felt the balance of the bed shift as the doctor got off.

"I can see you aren't paying attention anymore, so I will go. The reason I came in anyway was to formally discharge you, so you can leave as well."

Kanou left the room, smiling broadly. Kaneki watched him leave cautiously. Getting off the bed himself, he stretched and looked out the window to get a sense of the time. The light that stretched thinly across the parking lot carried a pale orangey tint, the last of the sun that it stemmed from disappearing behind the urban skyline. He sighed and shut the blinds, making his way down to the lobby. His flat was in a good twenty minute walk from the hospital, so he needed to get going soon else risk getting caught out after curfew. Walking home to his flat, he waved at the homeless man sitting on the corner. The poor guy was there every day, almost like a park bench you always pass on your way home. Kaneki smiled at the familiarity and regularity of it all. It was soothing after his weird day. He got to his building complex, jogging up the stairs. After digging the key out of his pocket, he entered, dropping his bag just inside the door and stumbling to fall face-first onto his bed.

 _I can deal with everything else tomorrow._

He though as he drifted to sleep.

Notes:

So yeah. This is the start of the shuuneki I'll be working on for a while. I hope you all enjoy it and nobody gets too creeped out by me having fun cutting Kaneki's limbs off. But shhhh that's a spoiler. Not really tho. If anyone wants to know my tumblr is immortalnite666 .tumblr .com

-Uta


	2. Chapter 2

Kaneki stared blankly at his best friend across the table. He and Hide had, after school, gone to the café and he was currently listening to Hide talk about some viral video that had been going around their school. Since Hide was pretty much Kaneki's only friend, he hadn't seen the video.

"And then, he just STABS it! And jumps off the thing on to a roof! A roof! Like a two story jump, Kaneki!"

Hide said animatedly. Apparently one of the rebels had been caught on camera destroying a police bot and it had been posted on YouTube. The whole thing went viral, of course. Hide pulled out his phone and showed it to Kaneki, the video playing. It was exactly as he had said. A man with purple hair stabbed a robot and then jumped off it to a nearby building.

"What do you think?! Isn't his hair weird?!"

Hide looked at Kaneki excitedly.

 _It's kinda hot._

Kaneki thought. He bit his lip, knowing he can't say that to Hide.

"Umm, it's cool?"

He winced internally.

 _I just took my usual awkwardness to a whole new level didn't I?_

Hide gave him a look that pretty much confirmed his thought. Kaneki checked the clock.

"Don't you have to get home soon? Since you cook dinner for your family."

Hide glanced at the clock, eyes widening comically.

"Shit! I do. Walk me home?"

Kaneki smiled and nodded. The pair stood up, grabbing their bags from the floor. Kaneki picked up the book he had gotten from the bookstore a week ago, holding it to his chest. Usually he would have had a book of this size finished in a few days, but he was going slow with this one. It was a murder mystery, after all. They walked out of the café, going the same direction as Kaneki had gone when he went to the book store.

"So, wanna explain the eyepatch? You've had since that construction accident."

Hide said. Kaneki froze. He knew he couldn't tell Hide about his robotic eye.

"Umm, well my eye got hurt and it's sensitive to light. So I'm keeping this over it until it heals fully."

Kaneki made up quickly. Hide accepted the explanation, nodding, but he didn't believe it and they both knew it. Fortunately, he didn't press Kaneki for a real answer. The boys continued down the street, chatting easily. Unnoticed by them, a man in a red cap followed them. The logo on his cap was that of the CCG's, the company that serves as the justice systems and owns, as well as controls the robots that patrol the city. He watched as the black haired boy with the eyepatch said good bye to the blonde boy and began walking home alone. The man slipped out of the alley and casually began to follow him. The boy clutched the book closer to his chest and the man's eyes narrowed. That book was his target. It held some very dangerous information, potentially. They hadn't been sure of which book it was, or even where it was, but thanks to this boy they had found it. Kamashiro Rize had been loosely affiliated to the rebel group that opposed the CCG. As soon as she had attacked the boy- an attempt to get the book, obviously- the CCG had known he must have it. Once they knew that, it was a simple matter if checking the hospital's online records to see who had been admitted that day, them matching the name they found with the book store Rize had worked at to find both the book and it's new owner. The CCG, being in charge of national security, had easy access to all kinds of information that would be closed to the public, like the hospital's records. Even if they resisted, well, the CCG had hackers. Of course, the name of the boy had not been given to him. Only the higher ups knew the details. He was only told thing for his missions on a need-to-know basis. All he needed to know for this was what the boy looked like. They didn't even give him the boy's address, leaving it to him to figure out. Fortunately, he was pretty skilled at that. He just needed to follow the kid back to wherever he lived, then break in. After that, the CCG had decided it would be too much hassle if the kid lived, so he was going to kill him and take the book. It's not like he would be too difficult to kill anyway. He looked like a uni student, and a nerdy one at that. The CCG would probably pin the blame for his murder on a local homeless person. That was the usual method. Kaneki turned the last corner before his building complex. He sighed deeply, ready to flop down on his bed and read his book. He was pretty sure there wasn't any homework due tomorrow anyway. Pulling his key out of his back pocket he unlocked the door. He walked through his flat, avoiding the stacks of books and schoolwork scattered haphazardly around the place. Pausing in the kitchen to get a snack, he made his way into his room. He lay down on his stomach on his bed, propping the book up on the pillows. He sighed again, crossing his ankles. The book was starting to annoy him. It was good, sure, but it just didn't live up to the expectations. He briefly wondered if it had anything to do with the weird comment Rize had made when he picked it out.

 _"Ooh, this is a good book! I've read it before, of course, but I'm pretty sure this is a special edition of this book, so it might be a bit different."_

He sighed and shook his head. Here he was, thinking about the words of a crazy girl just because his book wasn't as good as he had hoped. Like, what, did he think his book was a cheap knock-off not even written by the original author that was only meant to be an imitation to hide whatever secret Rize seemed to think it might contain? Kaneki suddenly heard a loud bang from the front of his door. He heard the door hit against the wall and heavy footsteps enter. What was going on? His heart began to race wildly and he felt his vision shift behind the eyepatch. Pulling it off, he looked towards the door, hoping that his eye could see through walls and maybe give him an idea of what was going on. Unfortunately, it couldn't. He froze and backed up against the wall, waiting as the footsteps drew nearer. Finally, the intruder was in the kitchen. Kaneki carefully peeked out around the doorway, hoping they wouldn't see him. The man in his kitchen looked like a normal person, a cold expression on his face as he spotted Kaneki. He advanced on the scared boy, pulling a gun from his pocket.

"Sorry, kid. The CCG needs that book of yours and we can't exactly leave you alive."

Kaneki whimpered in fear and pressed himself farther into the wall as the barrel of the gun alined itself with his heart. Weren't the CCG the good guys? Aren't they the ones protecting us? The man suddenly was thrown to the side by a punch that came from the kitchen. Another man stepped out into the room. Kaneki blinked in surprise. It was the guy from the video earlier. There was no way he could ever forget that purple hair. The man grinned, looking at his fist. It was bloody from hitting Kaneki's assailant.

"Are you okay?"

Kaneki blurted out. It then, of course, occurred to him that the newcomer could just as easily be trying to kill him also. The purple haired man glanced down at his hand.

"Oh, I'm fine. This is his blood."

The man gestured to the assailant, who lay crumpled in a heap on Kaneki's floor. The man staggered to his feet, glaring at the other. A nasty looking gash was on the side of his head. Kaneki stared at the wound. How on earth had the purple haired man managed to do that much damage with one hit?

"Who the hell are you?"

The man growled, clutching his head. The purple haired man grinned brightly and showed his fist to the other.

"I'm Tsukiyama."

Tsukiyama shifted his hand slightly and Kaneki saw something catch the light. It looked like... his knuckles were made of metal? Judging by the other man's expression Kaneki guessed he had seen the same thing. Looking closer, Kaneki realised that was exactly the case. The force of Tsukiyama's punch had ripped the skin over his knuckles, but instead of bone, he had metal poking out. Tsukiyama flexed his hand, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping the blood off his hand. It wasn't bleeding at all. Kaneki's eyes widened as he realised the bone structure of the hand must be entirely metal, which would explain why he could do so much damage with just one hit while not taking any himself as well as why he was helping in the first place. He must be one of the rebels who had mechanised body parts.

"What do you guys even want with me?"

Kaneki asked, his voice shaking.

"I told you, I'm going to kill you. And this pathetic rebel. I might get a bonus for him. I need that book you got from the other bitch, Kamashiro."

The thug growled. Tsukiyama sighed.

"Oui, you have a book of much importance, mon cher. So I think I will deal with this man first before I deal with you."

Kaneki blinked uncertainly. The word choice of Tsukiyama left it kind of ambiguous.

 _"Before I deal with you."_

In this situation that could hint at violence, but it was said with such a cheery tone Kaneki couldn't tell if he was trying to be nice or if he was just flat-out insane. Or maybe both. Either way, he made sure to move as far back along the wall as possible. If this kept up, Kaneki might seriously just fuse with the wall. The thug got back up, hoisting his gun and taking a loose aim at Tsukiyama. Tsukiyama frowned and squinted at the gun. Kaneki gasped as the color of his eyes changed. The white gained a grey steely glint and the irises shone a mechanical red. The same as Kaneki's left eye! Tsukiyama then put his hands up, palms facing outward as though it would stop the bullet. When the man fired, Kaneki looked away, expecting to be splattered with blood and then killed. Instead, however, all he heard was a dull clang of metal on metal. Looking back up, he realised that Tuskiyama's hands, which both had the metal bones, had stopped the bullet in its tracks. Tsukiyama had used his eye to determine exactly where the bullet would hit when fired and then blocked it accurately and easily. The tug seemed to realise this too, albeit several shots later. He grimaced and turned his gun on Kaneki, only to have Tsukiyama immediately jump in front of him. Tsukiyama head on charged the assailant, pulling his fist back to deliver a crushing blow. The man flinched away and tried to block. Unfortunately for him, steel is much stronger than bone and a sickening double crack was heard as Tsukiyama's fists collided with the man's arms. The man whimpered in pain and his arms fell limplt to his sides. Tsukiyama raised his hands and brought them down in a double chop onto of his head, splitting it easily. It made a sickening sound, like the hollow crunch of an overripe melon. Kaneki felt his stomach lurch at the sight of the man's brain peeking out of the top of his skull. He felt his vison start to get hazy and he sank to his knees with a groan, praying to any powers out there that he wouldn't throw up his lunch. His vision got hazier and hazier as he slid down to the floor. He felt his eyes drift shut and tried to fight off the urge to sleep, but to no avail. His body relaxing, he slumped on the floor, out cold. Tsukiyama noticed him faint and smiled to himself. Poor kid. He had certainly had a wild day today, huh? Tsukiyama excused himself to use the bathroom to wash his hands of the man's blood. He then opened the window in the living room and dumped the body outside, giggling at the splat noise it made as it hit the pavement.


	3. Chapter 3

Kaneki woke up to late morning sunlight coming in from a nearby window. He sat up and stretched, a throw blanket falling off his shoulders into his lap. He blinked at his surroundings uncertainly. He was sitting on an unfamiliar couch in a room that certainly wasn't in his house. The delicious smell of coffee pervaded the air around him and he took a deep breath, happily closing his eyes for a moment. Then he sighed and got off the couch. Looking down at his clothes, he could tell from the speckled of blood near the hem that it was the same shirt from last night.

 _I wonder if Tsukiyama brought me here. I guess he didn't intend to kill me, after all._

Kaneki thought. Looking at the low coffee table by the couch, he saw his book. A mix of feelings welled up inside him at the sight. Fear, since everyone kept attacking him for it. Relief, because now he had his bargaining chip, if need be. Irritation, because the book really wasn't as good as it should have been. The plot was a little too predictable for his taste. He silently made his way out of the room into the hallway. At one end of the hallway was a closed door. He could see light coming from underneath it, so he suspected there might be people inside. However, the scent of coffee was stronger around the corner at the other end, so Kaneki gave in to his stomach's wishes. As he turned the corner, he saw a familiar looking counter. Looking further in to the room, he realized that he was not in the some random house as he had thought, but rather the back of Anteiku, his favourite café. He backed away in shock, hoping no one inside had seen him. He turned the other way and headed for the closed door at the end of the hall. Maybe whoever was behind it could give him some answers. Walking up to the door, he heard a loud voice from the other side and paused.

"Well, I don't know what to do! We can't exactly leave him, can we? I mean, he saw me, plus Rize attacked him. And the assassin mentioned he worked for the CCG, so Kaneki knows something."

Kaneki stiffened at the sound of Tsukiyama's voice. He pressed his head a little closer to the door, hoping to hear more.

"Then, do you suggest we keep him here? Let him join us?"

"I don't see why not. I mean, he's got an eye too."

A deep voice hummed in agreement with Tsukiyama. Who was this 'us' Tsukiyama was referring to? The rebels? Why the hell were rebels having a meeting in the back of Anteiku?! Kaneki heard the sound of someone standing up and quickly scrambled away from the door. He was no more than two metres away when it opened awkwardly trying to figure out if he should pretend to have been about to knock or pretend to have been walking away.

"Kaneki-kun?"

Tsukiyama looked at him from over the shoulder of an older man.

"Ahh, so this is Kaneki? I think I recognise him from the café, yes? Why don't you come in. We have a lot to talk about."

Kaneki nodded and walked into the room, cautiously holding the book tighter. They took their seats and Kaneki carefully looked over the three men in the room. Tsukiyama, still with his purple hair and horribly clashing suit. An old man, with smile lines around his eyes. A blonde man in a trench coat that Kaneki would expect to see in some yakuza group or maybe hanging around in a dark alley.

"This is Yomo and Yoshimura. Yoshimura-san should explain everything."

Tsukiyama said, looking totally serious for once. Kaneki nodded and waited for Yoshimura to begin talking.

"As you know by now, the CCG is not your friend. They're not any of our 'friends'. The goal of the CCG is to create a perfect society, a utopia. They accomplish this through their robots. Everyone knows that the bots' job is to punish crimes and deter others from comitting them. What everyone doesn't know is that the ways to accomplish their utopia don't just stop there. The homeless people that have been put out of jobs by robots, or because of a lack of a high school diploma put a strain on society. So the robots are programmed to kill them. Of course, the sensors they have to detect humans assure that the murders committed by the robots are never directly observed by humans. Unless, say, a human has some robotic parts. The robotic parts then confuse the sensor and the bots will still kill even though there is an audience. When the first people were given robotic limb replacements last year, many of us discovered this. We quickly realised the truth about this perfect nation and are working now to destroy the bots. Because of how computer programming works, only the upper echelons of the CCG and government are aware of this. Many employees simply believe we are bitter rebels and would-be criminals."

Kaneki stared at him, disbelievingly. There was simply no way the government had been able to cover up this big of a scandal for so long. But yet, it made sense. After all, why would a group of people, all with the same thing in common, all turn traitor to the government at the same time unless there was a reason like this?

"How do I factor into this? I was totally human when Rize-san attacked me."

Kaneki asked. This time, it was Yomo who answered.

"Because of that book. A few days ago on the news, a hacker was killed. Since the mechanisation of nations all over the world, hacking has become a lucrative, but legal, profession. This particular hacker used to work for the CCG, but left at some point during his career. He began to take on extra jobs for money, bouncing between employers. He managed to develop a code that, if fed to the mainframe in the CCG's corporate building that controls the robots, would destroy them all. Every last one. Even the microbots we now suspect to be planted around street signs. That code, he hid in parts. And the locations of the parts, he hid in a 'special edition' of a popular book written by a close friend of his. We contacted him about it and he agreed to give it to us. Somehow, the CCG found out about our arrangement and killed him before he could do so, trapping us all in a race to get the pieces of code first. There are four fragments. If the CCG gets even one of them, it's game over for us."

Kaneki stared at him, then looked down at the book in his arms.

"I'll help."

The words dropped from his mouth before he was totally aware of it. He bit his lip, wishing he could take them back. It wasn't that he hadn't meant it, he had just wanted to think about it. Yoshimura smiled at him, the lines around his eyes crinkling. Tsukiyama looked delighted and Yomo looked, well, actually Yomo's expression didn't really change. He just sorta nodded.

"I think I'll leave you in Tsukiyama's care then. You will have to stay here, at Anteiku, anyway. It'll be too dangerous to go back to your flat, especially now that Tsukiyama killed the assassin in there."

Yoshimura stood and bowed politely to Kaneki, who quickly rose and did the same. Yomo left silently, leaving him alone with Tsukiyama. He fixed his purple fringe and smiled at Kaneki.

"Let's go meets the other people living here."

He offered his arm to Kaneki like an old-fashioned gentleman. Kaneki blushed, but took it anyway. They went up the stairs to the living area above the cafe, going to a central room with some cozy couches. There was a woman sitting on one couch, petting a fat black and white cat. Sitting on the ground by the coffee table, there was a girl who looked to be about nine or ten working with a purple haired girl about Kaneki's age on reading kanji. The woman glanced up as they entered, smiling.

"Hello, Tsukiyama-san."

He bowed to her, ignoring the glare the purple haired girl shot him and waved to the younger girl.

"Bonjour, Fueguchi-san. Et mon petite fleur! Ca va?"

The younger girl smiled and waved back.

"Flower man! Ca va bien!"

Tsukiyama looked positively delighted when she answered in french.

"You remembered! Tres bien!"

Fueguchi cleared her throat politely.

"Who's this?"

She asked, gesturing to Kaneki. He waved shyly, stepping out from where he had fallen behind Tsukiyama.

"I'm Kaneki."

Tsukiyama looked around the room.

"This is Fueguchi-san and her daughter, Hinami."

He said, gesturing to the woman and the younger girl.

"And that angry beauty over there is Touka-chan."

He said brightly, once again ignoring the daggers being shot through his head with her glare. Kaneki glanced over at where Hinami and Touka were working, recognising the book. It was another book by one of his favourite authors. That particular one he had read at the towards the middle of elementary school. He walked over to the table and kneeled next to Hinami.

"I read this book when I was only a little younger than you. What do you think of it?"

He asked nicely. Hinami's eyes lit up.

"You did? I love it, but Onee-chan thinks it's silly and frivolous."

Kaneki grinned, nodding his head.

"Well, it is pretty light hearted and slow. But that's not a bad thing. I can help you out with it, if you want."

Touka looked mildly relieved and mouthed a 'thank you' over her head as Hinami smiled again. "Thank you, Onii-chan!" Fueguchi smiled at his as Touka got up, stretching out her legs and Kaneki moved closer to the book to help Hinami. As it got later, Hinami started yawning. Around eight o'clock, her mom finally told Hinami it was time for bed.

"But mom, Onii-chan is teaching me!"

Kaneki chuckled and patted her head.

"Go to bed, Hinami. I'll be here tomorrow, too."

Hinami pouted for a moment, then got up and went with her mom. Across the table, Touka yawned and stood up, stretching.

"I think I'm going to go to bed for the night, too. See ya in the morning."

Tsukiyama nodded and stood up.

"Kaneki-kun, why don't we retire as well?"

Kaneki nodded and got up to follow the purple-haired french man. Tsukiyama showed Kaneki to a room with a plain brown door at the very end of the hallway upstairs.

"This'll be your room, Kaneki-kun. My room is right next door, if you need anything."

Tsukiyama gestured to a lavender door to the right of Kaneki's room. Winking, he opened his door and went in, leaving Kaneki alone in the hallway. Kaneki sighed and turned the doorknob, walking into his room. It was plain, but that didn't bother Kaneki. His home was pretty drab anyway, since he'd never had much money after his mom died. Even when she was alive, they'd never had much walked over to his bed, a simple full sized bed with light blue covers. Spreading his arms out, he flopped down face first on it. Rolling over to his back, he looped his fingers under the elastic bands behind his ears that held the eyepatch to his face and pulled it off. He tossed it to the side of the bed, letting it fall haphazardly on the floor. Next he undid the buttons on his shirt, pulling that off too. He'd need to get it washed, or maybe even replaced if the bloodstains didn't come out. Kaneki sighed and wiggled under the blanket, falling asleep easily.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Kaneki was once again woke to the smell of coffee. He breathed it in deeply, smiling.

 _Now this is something I could get used to._

He swung himself out of bed, feet landing on the shirt and eye patch he had thrown off the previous night. He picked them both up, immediately putting the eye patch on, but not the shirt. He looked at it, debating. On the on hand, he didn't want to go out of his room shirtless, simply because he was self-conscious. On the other hand, his shirt was bloody and dirty. He sighed and let it fall back to the floor. There was no way he was going to put it back on. Trying to swallow the feeling of a hunted animal as he left his room, he walked over to Tsukiyama's door. Maybe he could loan Kaneki a shirt until he had the chance to go back to his flat to get clothes. Raising a hand to knock on the door, he froze. What if Tsukiyama wasn't awake yet? He didn't want to wake him. But if he didn't knock he couldn't borrow a shirt. But what if Tsukiyama got mad at him for waking him up? But he really did need a shirt. He stood there, hand still half raised to knock for what seemed like ages, debating the whether or not to knock. And then suddenly, the door swung wide open.

"Ah! Kaneki-kun, bonjour. What is it that you require from me so early?"

Tsukiyama proclaimed. Kaneki flushed in embarrassment at having been caught loitering outside his door.

"Could I, um, borrow a shirt? My other one is bloody so-"

"Of course! Come in!"

Tsukiyama cut him off and ushered Kaneki into his room. An over powering smell of French cologne washed over him from as Kaneki blinked around at the room. Yoshimura must have chosen to let him decorate his own room, because not a single part of it matched. The door and trim on the walls were lavender, the walls themselves a purple color a few shades darker than his hair. The furniture was orange, except for the bedspread, which was bright red. A little half-smile appeared on Kaneki's face as he looked at Tsukiyama's outfit today. Red shirt, light blue pants. And that fucking purple hair of his. Kaneki briefly wondered if he literally got dressed in the dark. Tsukiyama walked over to his cantaloupe-coloured wardrobe and opened it up for Kaneki to look at. Kaneki almost cried. There was every color he could imagine, organized perfectly so it looked like a rainbow. But that wasn't the worst part, no. The worst part was that there were, in fact, normal colors like black, white and grey that could actually look really good on Tsukiyama if paired appropriately. But Tsukiyama basically just let his closet throw up randomly on him every morning.

"You need to let me dress you sometime."

He mumbled under his breath, picking out a plain black t-shirt. It would undoubtedly be too big on him, since Tsukiyama stood about half a foot taller. He thanked Tsukiyama and waved off the offers for a brighter color. The shirt came down a little lower than he would have like, and was way too wide for his much slimmer frame, but it worked. He missed the look Tsukiyama gave him, or rather gave his ass, as they walked out to find Yoshimura. Yoshimura was downstairs, about to open the shop. As the two approached him, he raised an eyebrow at Kaneki in Tsukiyama's shirt.

"That was quick."

Kaneki was confused by the comment, but it seemed to embarrass Tsukiyama.

"Oh, um, my shirt was bloody so I just asked to borrow Tsukiyama-san's."

Tsukiyama nodded.

"Maybe I should bring Kaneki-kun back to his house to get some clothes?"

Yoshimura nodded.

"That's a good idea, since we don't know how long he'll be here for. First, though, I do want you to teach him how to use the knives. Since he is staying here, he should at least know how to destroy the robots."

Kaneki looked back and forth between the two, confused. What would you use knives for when dealing with robots?

"We'll do that first, then."

Kaneki wasn't surprised to find out there was an entrance to the tunnels running below the city in the storage room of Anteiku, or that they used it for practise. After all, when you get a gun pulled on you by the people you thought were protecting you and find out that the infamous resistance movement trying to overthrow the government you thought was good is being run out of your favourite coffee shop, well, it kinda puts things in life in perspective. So Tsukiyama was trying to teach him how to throw knives in the dimly lit, dank interior of a dried up drainage tunnel.

"You're snapping your arm out too much. Just try to throw it at the target. Don't lock your elbow."

So far, Kaneki hadn't managed to hit anything but the very edge.

"Why is this important, again? Wouldn't you get electrocuted if you stabbed a robot with a metal knife like these?"

Kaneki said, still vainly trying to throw the blades at the makeshift target.

"No, they have a rubber coated handle. Like my hand does. I have these little spikes that if I flex my hand a certain way, pop out of my knuckles. So there's rubber parts inside my hand to prevent getting electrocuted through that. The spikes aren't very strong though, since the metal bones are replaced with has to be relatively light to be able to be used by humans. So I can't punch robots with it, but it works well with humans, if need be. Although, we're not to attack humans unless it's in self-defence."

Kaneki grimaced, sweat beginning to form on his brow due to the suffocating damp heat of the tunnel.

"Explain Rize then."

Tsukiyama sighed.

"I actually did like Rize. We didn't agree on much, but her taste in books was very similar to my own. Rize never lived at Anteiku, but she worked in collaboration with us. She never had a problem with killing people, so I'm not entirely sure why she hated the government so much. Or at least, she acted like she did. Maybe she was bored and looking for fun. There are people out there who do things like that."

Kaneki dropped the knives letting them clatter to the floor.

"I can't do this. Is there some trick to it? Why are we even using knives on robots anyway. They can't bleed."

Tsukiyama smiled and picked up one of the knives. He let it loose and it flew straight and clean into the center of the target. Kaneki tried to watch his actual movements and not get too focused on the way the muscles in his arm moved when he threw the blade.

"Take off your eye patch, Kaneki-kun. And these knives were specially designed by a friend who you'll meet later to be able to disrupt the internal functions of the robots. Basically, you stab them and they electrocute themselves. It reads in the mainframe as a malfunction, so the CCG doesn't immediately suspect that it was us."

Kaneki sighed and took off his eye patch. His eye didn't do anything. He tried to activate it and only got a faint ache in his eye, like when you keep your eyes crossed for too long. He frowned and continued trying to throw the knives. A few minutes later, Tsukiyama stamped on the floor loudly, startling Kaneki. He jumped and his eye automatically activated.

"Ah-ha! So that's the issue. You can't activate it at will. Now try throwing them."

Kaneki looked at him, questioning his mental health only slightly. Nonetheless, he turned back to the target, succeeding in hitting it for the first time. The knife was towards the center of the target, only slightly off to the left. He did it again a few more times, his eye assessing the distance and height of it and telling him almost instinctively how much force to put behind each throw. After a few more throws, Tsukiyama stopped him and they gathered up the knives.

"Now we can go back to your house and get some clothes for you."

Kaneki nodded, feeling proud of himself. The walk to his apartment from Anteiku was almost eerie to Kaneki. Even though he had walked that same road but yesterday, it seemed totally different today. Every time he saw a police bot, a bolt of some emotion he couldn't quite identify shot through him. When he and Tsukiyama arrived at his apartment, they weren't surprised to find the man's body that had been dumped out the window had already been removed and the incident covered up. There was a sign labeled 'Caution Wet Cement' on the block of sidewalk where the body had fallen and stained the ground with blood. The stopped and looked at it for a second before going up. As soon as Kaneki walked into his bedroom, he grabbed his phone, which had been left on his bed. His inbox was more or less filled with texts from Hide. Hide apparently felt that it was important for Kaneki to know how bored he was without him in history class. Kaneki sighed and dropped the phone back on his bed. He'd take it with him later, but he probably wouldn't reply to Hide. It would be pointless to try and make up some excuse for leaving school and if he just told Hide he was sick, then the guy would probably come by his house, only to discover that Kaneki wasn't there. Tsukiyama leaned against his wall as Kaneki hurried around his room, stepping over piles of books and clothes in search of a backpack. It had taken a lot of willpower on Tsukiyama's part this morning when Kaneki put on his shirt not to say something. It looked so cute on him! Just big enough to cover his frame and make it obvious the shirt wasn't his without being too awkward on him. It was definitely a boyfriend shirt. But Tsukiyama didn't know if Kaneki even swung that way. Tsukiyama considered himself bi. He'd only really dated guys in the past, but a brief crush on Touka made him pretty sure that wasn't the only thing he went for. Because. Boobs. Tsukiyama shook his head to clear it of al the weird thought floating through it and turned his attention back to Kaneki. Kaneki was now sorting through his closet, picking out all of his favourites to take. He stopped and flitted into the bathroom to grab his toothbrush and a comb. Although, Kaneki had to admit, the comb was rather useless most mornings. He sighed and threw it in his bag anyway. Lastly, he grabbed a few books from off his foor and tossed those in his backpack with his laptop. There was no way he was going to go anywhere without making sure he had at least a few books. They left the flat and Kaneki locked the front door up again, feeling a brief moment of sadness. He had never lived anywhere else in his life. He and his mom had lived here when he was a kid, and he had lived here by himself after she died. The most time he had spent away from it was occasional sleep overs at Hide's house. Steeping away from the door, he turned around and marched resolutely down the stairs. He refused to look back, even if he wanted too. He and Tsukiyama made their way back to the café, going in the back door. They went straight up to the second floor so Kaneki could unpack.

"Tsukiyama-san? Could I have some time to myself? I'll give you your shirt back, too, if you want."

Kaneki said. If Tsukiyama was surprised, he didn't show it.

"Tres bien, Kaneki-kun. You can keep the shirt. I will be either in my room or around here if you need me."

He smiled at Kaneki and went back downstairs. Kaneki sighed and opened to door to his room, laughing at the color scheme which now seemed drab in comparison to Tsukiyama's room.


	5. Chapter 5

"Could you explain how my book works? You mentioned it has something to do with this code thing?"

Kaneki asked Yoshimura the next day.

"Oh, yes. Follow me while I set up the shop."

They walked downstairs to the café and began pulling the chairs down from the tables to get the place ready to open.

"Basically, the way the man who wrote it explained it to me when we last had a chat, was that the places in the book that the protagonist goes to are the places where the code is hidden. So, if he goes to a library to get a book on naked mole rats, for example, then we need to go to the library and look for a book on naked mole rats. Since you've read the book, we'll need your help to go get the pieces. It would be best if we could take you with us when we go to look for them. That way, in case we can't find it, you might remember a detail that could tell us where it is hidden."

Yoshimura said seriously.

"Absolutely not."

A voice came from behind them. Kaneki turned to see Tsukiyama leaning on the counter, a stormy look on his face.

"He's been here one day and he's only just learned how to throw knives passably. You'll get him killed if you try to bring him with you. What are you planning to do if the bots show up? You know they will. If we go out in daylight, they'll find Kaneki with facial recognition software and follow us. If we go out at night, then we have to avoid being seen altogether. He'll be in danger if you bring him."

Tsukiyama said, walking up behind Kaneki. Kaneki smiled at him.

"I appreciate the concern for me, Tsukiyama-san, but I want to go. And Yoshimura's right. It's my book, so it only makes sense that I go."

Yoshimura nodded.

"If it would make you feel better, you would be going with him when you guys go out to look for it. Wouldn't that decrease your anxiety?"

Tsukiyama slung an arm around Kaneki's shoulders, hugging him tightly.

"This isn't about _decreasing my anxiety_. This is about me trying not to let Kaneki-kun get killed."

Yoshimura sighed.

"We'll talk about this later, Tsukiyama-san. I believe you have somewhere to be right now."

Tsukiyama sent one last glare at Yoshimura before heading out the door. Kaneki smiled at him as he left. As silly as it was, he thought it was a little cute that Tsukiyama was so worried for him. Yoshimura sighed and turned the lock on the door so that the employees could come in. Then he walked back up the stairs, motioning for Kaneki to follow him. The went up to the living room on the second floor. Either Hinami-chan and her mother were still sleepng, or they had gone out already, because the only one in the room was Touka. She was sitting on the couch, leaning over a large text book and scribbling on a piece of paper, a frustrated look on her face.

"Touka, could you take him to see Uta?"

Yoshimura asked. Touka looked up from her math homework.

"But it's my day off."

She deadpanned. Yoshimura gave her a very fatherly looking glare.

"Touka."

"...Fine"

She sighed and got up.

"Kaneki, c'mon. The earlier in the day we go, the better."

She walked to the back door of the café, slipping on her shoes. She barely waited for Kaneki to do the same before she was off. The had only gone about a block from Anteiku before she stopped at a bus stop.

"Why are we taking a bus? How far is this person?"

Kaneki asked. Touka shrugged.

"It's not too far, to be honest. It's just not the best area to walk through."

The bus arrived about twelve minutes behind schedule and they got on, Touka flashing a year-long pass to the driver. Kaneki had never ridden a bus before. His mom made sure that both her job and his school were within walking distance, since she didn't make enough money for a car. Bus passes were too expensive for her to even consider getting one for herself, being the selfless person she was. She had offered to get Kaneki one many times before she died, but he always refused. If she could walk everywhere, so could he. Besides, he actually rather enjoyed walking. It relaxed his mind. Now, being on a bus for the first time, Kaneki could not say he regretted that. It smelled of cigarettes, despite the faded 'No Smoking' sign above the door. It was crowded, for a late morning bus ride. The seats looked so disgusting that Kaneki, who was not particularly germophobic, wanted to dump a gallon of straight bleach on the seat cushion before he sat down on them, never mind that doing so would likely dissolve the seat.

"Oi, Kaneki."

Touka looked over at him.

"Yes?"

He asked politely.

"Do you like Tsukiyama?"

Kaneki's face went bright red. Had he really been that obvious? Touka just looked at his expression and laughed.

"Hmm, I didn't know you were gay."

She said. Kaneki tried to cool his burning face and shook his head.

"I'm not. I'm pansexual."

Touka gave him an unimpressed look.

"I don't keep my face buried in books all the time, Kaneki. What does that mean?"

Kaneki thought about the best way to phrase it.

"Well, to put it in terms of books, it means that, when pursuing a romantic interest, I view the genders of others as hastily scribbled side-notes in the margins of a great novel."

Touka's expression didn't change and he got the impression that she thought he was trying to show off, so he dropped it. When the bus finally got to the stop that Touka said to get off at, Kaneki practically ran off the nasty metal box on wheels. He and Touka made their way through the dirty-run down section of town to a creepy back alley area in between a bar and an X-rated adult store. Touka guided him to an inconspicuous looking red door. She walked up to the door and knocked once before going in, not bothering to hold it open for Kaneki. Kaneki caught the door before it closed and followed her into a dimly lit room with masks on pedestals and strange figures covered with sheets placed randomly round the room. Kaneki looked around for someone, thinking the building might be empty and this 'Uta' person out for lunch or something. Making his way over to Touka, he got a little curious and decided to see what was under one of the sheet covered figures. He stopped at the nearest one and peeked under it. He nearly screamed when the heavily tattooed and pierced man under it looked at him with wide green eyes.

"Boo."

Touka ran over to him as soon as she heard him shout, concern on her face.

"What is it?!"

The man under the sheet stood up and pulled the cover off him.

"It's just me. I wanted to see if I could scare you."

He said cheerfully. Touka glared at him.

"Whatever. Uta, this is Kaneki. Kaneki, this is Uta. It's his shop we're in right now."

Uta waved, a cute smile forming on his face.

"Let's go over to my workbench."

He said, leading the pair to a worn wooden desk with a pad of paper and about thrity pencils scattered around on the surface.

"Wait, so what are we doing here, exactly?"

Kaneki said. Nobody had actually explained to Kaneki why he had been forced to endure that disgusting bus ride to walk around in the red light district.

"Well, you need a mask. So the CCG doesn't recognise your face immediately. I make masks. Connect the dots."

Uta said, leaning over his workbench. He turned back to look at Kaneki again. His eyes turned from their normal green to the mechanical grey and red as he assessed Kaneki's face.

"Why the eye patch? Is there something wrong with that eye?"

Kaneki shook his head, then realised Uta's back was to him once more.

"Um, no, the eye I have covered is the only one that is mechanical, but it only activates when I get excited, panicked or angry. I can't control it."

Uta nodded, twisting his lip ring.

"It suits you. It's kinda cute. I think it would be better to keep it, then. There's not that many of us anyway, so anything the CCG can use in your physical appearance to identify you should be avoided. I'll cover up your other eye though."

Touka coughed from behind them.

"He also needs a set of knives."

Uta grimaced.

"Yes, I know, but that's so much less fun. With my knives, you just get a belt and a few other sheaths and then a set of a dozen of so actual blades. You could just pick it out for him, Touka. With a mask, I actually get to have fun with designing it."

Touka rolled her eyes at him and pulled Kaneki behind her into a back room. Humming she went over to a pile of leather and metal buckles, sorting through it. She threw something over her shoulder at Kaneki, who held it up to see that it was a black belt with several little sheaths for the throwing knives Tsukiyama had jut taught him how to use.

"Here. Put it on."

She said curtly. Kaneki wondered once again if he had done something to piss her off or if she was just naturally cold. Kaneki put it on, feeling a little uncomfortable with the way it looked on him. Touka turned around and looked at him, the frowned. She picked two more thing out of the pile and tossed them at him.

"Take that off for now and put these on instead."

Kaneki gratefully took off the weird belt and picked up the two other sheaths. They appeared to strap on to his forearms, so he rolled up his sleeves to put them on. He liked these two much more. They only looked like they held two weapons, but were much lighter and completely inconspicuous. He almost always wore hoodies anyway, so it wasn't that weird to have something on his arm. Touka nodded approvingly and picked out two knives from the wall. Kaneki startled a little, not having noticed that one wall was completely covered with knives of all lengths and styles. Touka grabbed two basic looking blades that were a a few inches longer then the tiny throwing knives Tsukiyama had shown him how to use.

"These can be used for throwing, although they're really not intended for that. These are more intended for close range fighting. Some day I'll teach you how to fight with them, but not today."

She walked back out to see Uta, who was still doodling ideas for Kaneki's mask on his sketch pad.

"We're heading back now. I trust we'll see you in a few days when you finish the mask?"

Uta hummed from his desk without turning to face them. Touka nodded at his back and walked out of the building, back into the dirty alley.

"Let's hurry back before it gets dark. Nighttime around Uta's shop is not very safe."

They hurried through the run-down section of town to the closest bus stop, arriving back at Anteiku about half an hour later. As soon as they got back, Touka marched straight back to her homework. Kaneki followed her. He sat down on the couch next to her, looking over her shoulder at the math book.

"...What're you doing?"

Touka glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, brushing a strand of purple hair out of her face. "I'm helping you with your math homework. I did this stuff last year." She turned back to the book.

"Show-off."

But she didn't try to make him leave. So for the next few hours, Kaneki was content to make comments on how to solve a particular problem or tell her which formula to use while she pretended to ignore him. In the end, though, Touka suspected it would have taken her much longer to do it on her own. Not that she was going to thank Kaneki or anything. She'd just maybe hate him less than other people.

A/N:

So yea. That's the definition of pansexual guys. You're welcome

-Uta


	6. Chapter 6

Kaneki was sitting on his bed a week later, with his legs crossed, staring at the book. He really wanted to help, to do something useful. At the moment, it really just seemed like he was freeloading off Anteiku. Yoshimura had said that the pieces of coding were hidden in the places the protagonist of his novel went. That didn't make much sense to Kaneki. Having now finished the book, the place where the character went first was a Starbucks across from a park. Kaneki had done a search to see if there was any place similar in the 20th ward. There was. A few blocks away from his school, there was a park. To the west of the park, there was a Starbucks. But the thing that really got him was how on earth did someone hide computer code in Starbucks? When he asked Yoshimura this, the man had replied with an ambivalent smile.

"You'll see tonight, Kaneki-kun."

He had then walked away, leaving Kaneki even less sure of what was going on. A sudden knock at his door made him get up. Opening the door, he found a grinning Uta holding a black paper bag.

"This is for you."

He said cheerfully. Kaneki looked at the bag, confused,, then followed Uta into the living room to open it. Hinami had gone out to the library with her mother, so the only two Uta had been able to summon to witness the unveiling of his latest masterpiece were Tsukiyama and Touka, Yoshimura having waved him off.

"What is this, Uta-san?"

Kaneki asked cautiously. Uta smiled, flopping down on one of the armchairs with his feet over one side like a child.

"Open it and find out!'

Touka rolled her eyes.

"It's your mask, Kaneki. He just enjoys being dramatic."

Kaneki sat down next to Tsukiyama on the couch and Carefully reached into the bag, pulling out a black leather mask. It had an eye patch cover for his right eye so the CCG wouldn't be able to tell he only had one mechanical eye. There was a large, grinning mouth with a zipper across it that gave it an almost savage look. Uta looked at him eagerly and Kaneki felt compelled to put it on. It was surprisingly comfortable, the leather cool and smooth against his face. Tsukiyama thought somewhere in a dirty corner of his mind that he wouldn't mind seeing Kaneki in more leather. Touka sighed.

"Good work as usual. Kaneki, Yoshimura wanted me to let you know that as soon as you have your mask, Tsukiyama and I, and I suppose Uta if he wants, will be going to get the fist part. He said that Yomo told him the CCG isn't expecting us to move out after the pieces right away, so the sooner we get in motion, the less likely it is we'll be in any sort of fight. So please be ready tonight."

Tsukiyama looked annoyed, but Uta smiled.

"I would love to go! It sounds considerably more fun then just sticking around my shop all night and watching the muggings."

Kaneki looked faintly put-off at the idea of Uta's shop.

"Anyway, when tonight will we be going?"

He asked. Touka glanced at her watch.

"Well, the café closes at nine, so I guess we could go at eleven? You'll need to follow us when we go out, though, since you've never gone out after curfew before."

Touka said, a slight hint of condescension in her voice.

"Actually, Hide and I have gone out after curfew a few times before. I wouldn't call myself an expert or anything, but I'm not completely new to it."

Kaneki couldn't stop himself from saying.

"Tch. Still, stay close to us."

Touka waved a hand at him and left, shooting one last bored glance at Uta, who was still stretched out like a cat over the armchair.

At about ten that night, Kaneki was starting to get anxious. He had on one of his favourite hoodies, black and just a little bit too long on him. He had already put on one of the sheaths he had gotten from Uta's the day before. He was struggling to put the other one on his arm with his non-dominant hand when someone knocked on the door. He paused and hopped up to answer it, keeping one hand on his forearm so the sheath didn't slide out of place with it's partially secured straps. He opened the door carefully, finding Tsukiyama standing there, nervously shifting his weight back and forth.

"Kaneki-kun! Can I come in?"

Kaneki nodded, a little surprised and stepped back. They sat down on his bed, Kaneki still fiddling with the straps.

"What do you need?"

Tsukiyama played with his bangs, feeling a little unsure of himself.

"Umm, I just wanted you to know, you don't have to go with us. I mean, you might get hurt and I'm sure we can find the place on our own. There's no need for you to expose yourself to the possibility of being hurt unnecessarily, mon cher."

Kaneki paused and looked at him.

"Tsukiyama-san, I appreciate the concern, but I want to go. I feel like a burden, just sitting around here all the time. Touka works downstairs, you work at that flower shop down the street. Yoshimura runs the whole place, and it seems like everyone but me has a job. I'm just a burden right now, so I want to help."  
Kaneki said. Tsukiyama shook his head furiously.

"Non, you are not a burden! I just don't want you to get hurt."

Kaneki smiled.

"I'll be fine. Could you help me buckle this?"

Kaneki said, offering his arm to Tsukiyama. He nodded and reached around his arm to loop it through the small metal rectangle. Tsukiyama leaned in so he could see it better, so close now that Kaneki could have smelled his hair, if he had so desired. Though, to be honest, he did kind of want to.

"Please just stay close to me tonight, then."

Tsukiyama finished and looked up at Kaneki, not moving back.

"Okay."

Kaneki breathed, feeling frozen. He felt trapped like a small animal in the gaze of a wolf, the indigo pupils boring into his eyes. Kaneki couldn't have budged an inch from where he was. He was pinned down to this spot by the intense, possessive gaze of the other man.

The sound of someone clearing their throat from the door way broke the contact. "Quick looking and get moving. Not that I don't love interrupting awkward little staring sessions. But we're leaving now, so you both need to go get your masks and meet Uta and I by the front door."

Touka left, not bothering to close the door. Tsukiyama turned back to Kaneki.

"Please, do not get hurt, mon cher."

He pressed a quick, anxious hand to Kaneki's cheek before going to his own room to get his mask. Kaneki picked up his own, slipping it on before going to meet Touka by the door. Touka was wearing combat boots, red thigh-high socks with shorts, a purple shirt that matched her hair and a green army style jacket. Her mask looked like a white rabbit head. Uta was wearing the same outfit as always, a loose tank top, cardigan and harem pants. His mask looked more like a combination of a beetle and a bird face, with several parallel holes on the sides and a protruding beak-like nose. Tsukiyama came down the stairs right after Kaneki. It looked to Kaneki like he had simply removed his jacket; a red button-up long sleeve shirt with a diagonally striped purple and blue tie and black slacks. His mask was shaped like a crescent moon, a large mouth stretching out over where his other eye was in a grimace. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he bowed to them.

"Allons-y, mes copains."

Touka rolled her eyes at him, opening the back door cautiously.

"We need to be absolutely silent. If any of us hear or see a patrol bot, alert the rest of us."

They walked out on to the dark, empty street. Fortunately the park wasn't too far away, but the feeling of desolation the deserted rows of houses gave him was enough to make it feel like miles. When they reached the dark Starbucks, Uta stepped forward. He pulled a tension wrench and a lock pick out of his bottomless pockets. With the skilled air of someone who was once a delinquent, and maybe still is, he opened the lock in less then a minute. They slipped into the dark coffee shop, looking around.

"Where should we look, Kaneki?"

Tsukiyama whispered. Kaneki shrugged, almost imperceptibly in the darkness.

"Try the corner table or the last chair at the bar."

Tsukiyama hmmed and moved to examine the corner table. Uta and Touka moved towards the bar. Kaneki walked over to the TV, running his hands along the sides. The protagonist had started off watching the TV, so it was possible it could be there. The TV itself felt normal, but as his hands reached underneath to feel along the bottom of the stand, his fingers found an unnatural bump. Scraping his nails across it, he peeled off the tape holding it to the bottom and brought it up to his face. It was a small memory stick with a #1 sharpied on it.

"Guys, I found it."

Kaneki whispered. They stopped looking and came over to him. Touka gently opened his hand to look at it and nodded.

"That's it. Let's go."

Just as they were about to leave, a bright light passed the front windows. Touka and Uta dove behind the counter. Tsukiyama grabbed Kaneki's arm and hid under a table, pulling Kaneki on top of him. They waited with bated breath until the light had passed.

"What was that?"

Kaneki asked Tsukiyama, trying not to focus on how close they were now.

"A patrol bot. Something must have set it off, otherwise it wouldn't have search lights on. We need to be careful."

Getting back up, the four young adults crept quietly towards the door, opening it cautiously. Touka peeked out, the slid around to press herself against the outside wall. She motioned for them to join her, Uta coming out last and shutting the door quietly behind himself. The closer they got to Anteiku, the more their anxiety increased. Everyone was itching to break out into a run, but not daring to in case it attracted bots. As they were on the last block, with Anteiku in sight, a whirring sound came from an alley. They froze. A bot wheeled out, search light on and red alarm button flashing.

"You are out past curfew. Please come with me to the CCG. Do not resist."

A robotic female voice emanated from the tinny interior of the robot. Nobody moved.

"Do not resist. If you continue to resist, I will use violent actions against you."

Touka whirled into action. Dodging the small, automated gun that suddenly popped free of the robot's head, she plunged one of her knives into the search light. There was a small spurt of sparks and the lights on the robot's casing all went dead. She pulled the knife back out and quickly kicked it into the alley that it came from. Breaking into a dead sprint towards Anteiku, she motioned for the others to follow her. They burst into the back door, locking it behind them and taking off their shoes before collapsing into a panting, giggling mess against each other. Yoshimura came down the stairs in a dark blue bathrobe.

"Did you find it?"

Kaneki smiled, still breathing heavily and held it out to him. Yoshimura took it, smiling.

"Good job. Let's get to bed, and we can deal with this in the morning."

He then went promptly back upstairs. The four of them staggered up the stairs with legs weak from exertion, adrenaline and fear, clinging on to each other for support. Once upstairs, Uta made his way into a room with a white door, hazily wishing them all goodnight. Touka made it into her room successfully as well. Tsukiyama and Kaneki were still trying to stumble their way, while giggling, to their own rooms when they decided it might be easier just to sleep on the couches. Tsukiyama fell down on to the couch, pulling Kaneki on to his chest as he did so. So that was how they ended up falling asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

A man, or a boy really, sat on the top of the CCG building, his feet dangling precariously of the edge and he shifted his weight back and forth. His white hair swung wildly around his face as the wind caught it. His name was Suzuya Juuzo and he worked for the CCG. Most employees sat inside during their lunch break, doing mundane things like eating at their desk or just working through lunch. Suzuya sat back, picking at the red stitched going up his arms. How boring they must be, he thought. Hell, their whole career seemed boring to Suzuya. Sit at a desk, stand at a counter, go home, sleep, repeat. They all live nice, normal lives. Suzuya was glad he didn't have a normal life like that. As a young child, his father was dead and his mother abusive. Not just physically, either. She did hit him, but she would also subject him to repeated mental abuse and sometimes sexual abuse until he eventually just snapped. He couldn't remember when the break had occurred. He couldn't even really remember before the break. He just knew that at some point, his whole life had begun to revolve around one thing. Blood. Soon, it got to the point where he didn't mind the beatings, the pain of not eating for days on end, as long as someone started bleeding, it was ok. If no one bled, then he'd make sure someone did. Usually it was him, of course. He discovered early on the beauty in making little red designs on his skin with a needle and thread. It bled just a little, but it was enough. Sometimes, depending on where he started, he could even start with a white piece of string and end up with it being dyed red. He loved the designs on his body. Other people didn't, however. When his mother first enrolled him in a public school for sixth grade, he was shocked. People acted so differently than he was used to. Suzuya didn't understand it. Bonds… People had bonds with each other. That confused him to no end. Why would they miss someone when they weren't at school? They'd be back tomorrow. Why did everyone cry at the end of the year? One time, one of his teachers died. He was invited to the funeral. Suzuya had never been to a funeral, so he went. That confused him even more. Why did people cry at funerals? Death is inevitable. It's just something that happens. He was just one human. There are so many humans on the planet. If he was one of your 'friends' can't you just go find someone else to replace him. He's not that unique, after all. No one is. There will always be someone else out there with the ability to replace you. No one is 'special'. And yet, the normal people would cry over this teacher like it was some great loss. Eventually, his classmates and other teachers noticed this. They started avoiding him. It didn't bother Suzuya. And when men in fancy suits came to his house with robots, saying his mother was going to jail for child abuse, that didn't particularly bother him either. Especially when his mother tried to run and the robot shot her, getting her blood all over the carpet. Then he went with the men in suits, to a tall building he had never seen before. Time went by, and Suzuya lived in this building, the CCG. One man, Shinohara, would take care of him. He called Suzuya his son from time to time. That confused Suzuya, too. They shared no blood relation. He didn't see why this man would think of him as his son. Finally, when Suzuya was in his late teens, they found a use for him. A group of people who threatened something was doing something bad. He didn't pay attention to the details. All he knew was that they wanted him and Shinohara to track down these people, since their robots couldn't sense them, and kill them. He loved that idea. They gave him weapons and everything. As long as he listened to them, he could see as much blood as he wanted. The door to the roof behind him opened and a big man walked out.

"Here you are. You shouldn't do that, you know. You're going to fall off the roof one day."

Suzuya looked back at Shinohara before doing a reckless backflip off the rail. Shinohara sighed.

"They gave us the new schedules, and we're having a meeting now."

Shinohara said, motioning for Suzuya to follow. They walked back downstairs, finding the big conference room. Inside, the rest of the 'field agents' who shared their job were already sitting. There weren't many of them. Since they had robots, the sole job of the human agents was to track down and kill those with the robotic parts. They usually worked in teams, since their quarry were much more dangerous than normal humans. Amon, the overzealous rookie was sitting next to Mado, the white haired guy with bulging eyes that made even Suzuya uncomfortable. At the head of the table was Arima. Arima didn't have a partner, because he didn't need one. He was easily the most dangerous of them all. Shinohara often wondered who would be harder to take in a fight. Suzuya, on the one hand, had that dangerous unpredictability of the insane, but Arima had the refined deadliness of a well-kept katana in the hands of a skilled samurai. Shinohara picked a seat across from Mado, gesturing for Suzuya to take the next one.

"You are aware of what is going on, correct? The renegades have found a way to destroy the peace that this city enjoys. We need to stop them before they can find the rest of the codes that make up the virus program designed to take down the mainframe. To help us, the robots in the city have now been designed to bring in, or kill if it resists, anything living out after curfew. This way, the humans that have mechanical parts that the robots aren't able to sense will be captured or killed. The upper echelons have also ordered that we take a more proactive stance against the rebels. We will be fighting them more often. Currently work is being done that I am not yet allowed to divulge the details of to help us out in our work. We will now be actively searching out the rebels. Currently, we have a spy in their group that is feeding us information. They have not yet given us the details to make a full-out attack on their base, but they are keeping me informed of the major actions taken."

Arima paused when Amon raised his hand.

"Can't we just wait for them to attack one of the robots and then kill them?"

He asked. Arima shook his head.

"No. The weapons they use cause the robots to electrocute themselves. The messages then sent back to the mainframe that controls and tracks all of the robots in the city are that of a malfunction rather than an attack. It's impossible for us to determine the difference between a true malfunction and one of their strikes without one of us being there."

Mado raised his hand. "Are we going to get any more of us investigators sent over from the governor?"

Arima shrugged.

"I don't know. There aren't many left. I believe there are only two that they can send over anyway, Takizawa and your daughter."

Arima sat back down, waving a hand to conclude their impromptu meeting. Shinohara had a piece of paper that had their schedules, Suzuya assumed. He let Shinohara deal with that kind of thing. He wasn't very good at keeping track of time and he lived here anyway, so it wasn't like he could be late.

Kaneki woke up feeling very warm. Blinking his eyes blearily, he let his vision focus on the blur of colors in front of his face. As the picture became clearer, he realised he was squished in between the back of the couch and Tsukiyama's chest, one of Tsukiyama's arms draped over his side and his own leg curled over his hip. He flushed and sputtered, shoving Tsukiyama a little to wake him up. Kaneki guessed it was probably about mid-morning by the sun coming in through the windows. Uta and Touka were likely still asleep. Kaneki briefly wondered whose room it was that Uta had claimed as his own and was sleeping in. Tsukiyama lifted his head and blinked at Kaneki a few times.

"Mon cher, why are we out here?"

Tsukiyama asked, his voice a little scratchy. Kaneki smiled at him.

"Because we were too lazy to go back to our rooms last night."

Tsukiyama sighed.

"Oh, vrai. This isn't very comfortable."

Kaneki nodded, tucking his head under Tsukiyama's chin.

"I'm still sleepy."

Tsukiyama yawned and rolled off the couch, falling onto the floor. He stood back up and surprised Kaneki by picking his small frame up, bridal style, and walking back to his room. Kaneki helped him twist the door knob and he walked in, kicking the door shut behind him. Tsukiyama dropped Kaneki gently on his bed, crawling in next to him. Kaneki curled around him like a cat, closing his eyes again. Tsukiyama smiled and wrapped an arm around him again.

He was so cute, especially when he was sleepy. Awake, alert Kaneki would never be able to do anything like this without turning redder then a tomato and sputtering enough to give himself a speech impediment. Tsukiyama waited until he heard Kaneki's breathing even out. Then he leaned forward slightly, burying his nose in the boy's soft black hair. It smelled good, a little like oranges. He had an irrational desire to make Kaneki use his shampoo, so they'd smell the same. Or not the same, but close enough that anyone else who got this close would be able to tell who's Kaneki was. But that was silly. He didn't own Kaneki. They weren't thing. Kaneki probably didn't even feel the same. Plus, that was weird. He didn't need to mark someone like property. Kaneki wasn't his property. Or that's what he was going to tell himself, anyway. Sighing, Tsukiyama closed his eyes and tried for sleep as well.

When he woke up again, Kaneki was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Kaneki sighed, throwing his last book across his room as he finished it. There had been almost nothing going on since the midnight raid on the Starbucks last week so he had been confined to reading his way through the stacks of books he had brought with him.

 _I'm. So. Bored._

He thought, pulling himself up off his bed. It had been a while since he had gone to his house, so maybe it would be okay if he went back to get some books? He opened his door and went off in search of Yoshimura. The old man was downstairs as always, making coffee even though Anteiku wasn't open today.

"Yoshimura-san, can I go to pick up some books from my apartment?"

Yoshimura glanced up and nodded.

"Yes, just take someone with you."

Kaneki grinned, not having expected him to agree so easily. He ran upstairs to Tsukiyama's room, peeking in without bothering to knock. He didn't see Tsukiyama, but he could hear the shower running. Walking in, he flopped down on his bed and waited for him to get out. A few minutes later, the shower shut off and Tsukiyama walked out with a purple towel around his waist.

"Kaneki-kun?"

While he looked surprised to find Kaneki sitting on his bed, he seemed completely at ease with the fact that he was only wearing a towel. Kaneki, on the other hand, felt his face begin to heat up at the sight.

"Um, I ran out of books, could you… um, go with me to get some more?"

Kaneki said, averting his face slightly. Tsukiyama smiled at the blush on his face.

"Of course, mon cher. Just give me a moment to get dressed."

Tsukiyama walked over to his wardrobe and opened it, dropping the towel completely. Kaneki let out a surprised squeak and blushed harder, pointedly looking at the door. Tsukiyama grinned at his adorable innocence. After he finished getting dressed, they walked down stairs, Kaneki feeling like his face would be permanently stained red. They walked down the street together, Tsukiyama itching to grab for his hand. As they approached Kaneki's apartment, he pulled the key out of his back pocket, feeling oddly nogalistic about it all. Kaneki turned the key in the lock to his apartment and let the door swing open. He kicked his shoes off at the foyer, not even taking notice of the extra pair of shoes there. Sighing, he made his way into the dark hallway, not bothering to feel for the light switch. Tsukiyama padded quietly after him. As they walked into the kitchen, Kaneki noticed a light was on in his living room. He held a hand up to stop Tsukiyama and quietly moved in to see who the intruder was. It was a boy, lying on his back on Kaneki's floor. His bleached head was pillowed on his back pack and he was squinting at a book he had gotten from off the shelves.

"Hide?"

Kaneki said. The boy looked up.

"Kaneki! You're home today! Didn't you notice my shoes by the front door?"

Kaneki blinked. He was so used to seeing Hide's shoes there that they didn't even register in his subconscious now. Tsukiyama, feeling awkward, sat down on Kaneki's counter and let the boys talk.

"Why are you here?"

Kaneki asked. Hide shrugged.

"Why weren't you? About two days after you disappeared off the face of the earth, I started coming over here for an hour after school to see if you came back. Where have you been?"

Hide asked. Kaneki looked away, eyes flitting over to Tsukiyama.

"It's hard to explain. I only came back here to get a few books, anyway."

Hide narrowed his eyes at him and got up. Walking into the kitchen, he looked over Tsukiyama. His eyes narrowed even further.

"Kaneki, remember that one viral video that went around our school a while ago?"

Kaneki gave him a curious look.

"The one where the masked guy jumps off the robot onto a roof top?"

Hide nodded and pointed to Tsukiyama.

"If you came here with him, then you're not going to be coming back, are you? You're joining that underground rebel movement."

Kaneki tried to come up with a lie that could trick Hide but gave up. He was too intuitive to even try to keep secrets from. Hide also had the benefit of being his best and sometimes only friend for years, and there for knew all of Kaneki's little quirks. As easy as it was for Hide to read him, he might as well have jut written it out across his forehead. Kaneki sighed in defeat.

"No, I'm not coming back."

Hide smiled sadly.

"I didn't think so. Well, get your books and I'll see you off."

Kaneki nodded and went into his bedroom, leaving Tsukiyama and Hide alone in the kitchen.

"Keep him safe for me, will you? He strong, but weak at the same time, if that makes any sense. Back at our school, kids used to bully him because he was so quiet and because he was so good at theatre. I was usually there to stop them, but sometimes I wasn't. I've seen him get mad."

Hide paused and looked Tsukiyama right in the eye.

"I've seen him get really mad. But, I've also seen the times where he doesn't get mad. When he's mad, he sputters and turns red, maybe tries to throw a punch. But when he doesn't get mad, it's worse. His eyes, they just turn... empty. Like he's not even there. Once, a kid made fun of him because his mom died. Kaneki just stood there and stared at the kid. Didn't say anything. Didn't move. Just stared at him. That kid didn't come back to school. Transferred away. Why, he never said. Kaneki flat out refuses to say what happened. So, just, whatever happens, don't let that happen to Kaneki. You'll loose him if you do."

Hide stopped talking as Kaneki walked back into the room, leaving Tsukiyama to mull over what he had said. The kid really was freakishly perceptive.

"Okay, I got all my books!"

Kaneki said cheerfully.

"Great! I'll walk you out, then."

The three made their way towards the door, Hide talking about some new cute teacher they just got. They walked out to the street and Hide got on his motorcycle. Just as they were parting ways, Hide called him back over.

"Kaneki. C'mere. I have something for you."

Kaneki tilted his head and walked over to him. Hide smiled and motioned him closer. Kaneki stepped even closer to him, confused. Hide then slipped his arm around Kaneki's waist and pulled the confused teen towards him so their chests were touching. Putting his hand under his chin, Hide tilted Kaneki's face upwards, capturing his mouth in a kiss. Kaneki gasped and Hide's tongue flicked out, running lightly over his lips and then slipping into his mouth. Kaneki barely had time to realise what was happening before Hide had pulled away.

"If you ever decide to come back, I'll be waiting for you."

And with that, Hide got on his motorcycle and sped off. Kaneki touched his mouth, watching Hide's back as he drove away. Tsukiyama watched him go also. Normally he would be mad at the boy for kissing his Kaneki, but after the talk in the kitchen, he couldn't find it in himself to be. Kaneki sighed.  
"Kaneki-kun?"

Tsukiyama said. He turned to face him, smiling tiredly.

"Let's go home, Tsukiyama-san."

They began to walk back, a peaceful silence between them. On a weekday afternoon like today, the streets were empty and mostly quiet. So the sounds that usually went unheard by the city were easy to identify. Kaneki heard the monotone sound of the robots that he had heard on the midnight Starbucks raid. Pulling at Tsukiyama's sleeve, he walked towards the sound. It was coming from a dirty alley between a bakery and a thrift store. Peering into the darkened space, Kaneki was shocked to find a robot with it's gun out, pointed at a homeless man draped in rags. The look of shock and fear was plain on his face and his hands were up in the universal sign of surrender.

"P-Please! I've done nothing wrong!"

The man begged. Kaneki's eyes widened and he was about to step forward when Tsukiyama grabbed his arm and pulled him down the side walk, grabbing his hand beginning to talk about some random thing. A man in a white coat carrying what appeared to be a small radio passed them. Tsukiyama stopped, continuing to talk for a few seconds before shutting up. He turned around, checking that the man was gone. He pulled Kaneki back towards the alley, pointing at a mirror on the traffic light. Kaneki looked at the mirror, realising it showed what was going on in the alley. The man in the coat walked up to the robot and the homeless man. The man fell forward, clutching at his coat.

"Please! you have to help me! This thing is trying to kill me!"

The man stepped away from him, holding the radio up to his face.

"Yeah, he's here."

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Have you approved the order?"

"You have? Okay. I'll do it now."

He pulled it away from his face.

"Sorry, sir. You have been deemed a burden on this society. We can't have freeloaders like you who mooch off of everyone."

He pressed a button on the top of the robot and the gun fired, killing the man instanly. He swept his white coat to the side and turned away from the mess. The robot began to pick up the body, shoving it into a compartment inside of it. It rolled away, coming out towards the mouth of the alley. Tsukiyama pulled Kaneki into the thrift store, watching to man and the robot wheel away in separate directions. Kaneki felt numb. Had he seriously just witnessed that? Did that count as murder? Did the CCG really give the order for that? Everything Yoshimura had told him had now been confirmed. It made it seem more real. Before, he could have just brushed it off as something he knew, but didn't fully believe. Like with mountains, where you knew they were big, but you don't truly realise their true magnitude until you see one for yourself. Now he had to accept, completely, that this city was not what he once thought it was. Again, he felt like he was drowning. He held tightly onto Tsukiyama's arm, pressing his forehead into his shoulder. Tsukiyama petted his hair gently.

"I know. I felt the same when I saw it for the first time too."

He allowed Tsukiyama to lead him out back to the street. They walked back to Anteiku, Kaneki still clutching at Tsukiyama like a lifeline. When they got back to the shop, Yoshimura stopped them. Without saying anything, he looked over Kaneki. He seemed to know immediately what had happened and motioned for them to follow him downstairs. He made Kaneki a cup of coffee, sitting him down at the bar.

"How bad was it?"

He asked. Kaneki shook his head, not wanting to talk about it. Tsukiyama frowned.

"It malfunctioned and one of the technicians came and manually gave the order."

Understanding flashed across the old man's face, mingled with pity.

"It was worse then usual then. He actually had to see a person give the order."

Tsukiyama nodded, rubbing Kaneki's back. Kaneki looked up.

"I hadn't really believed you before that, you know."

Yoshimura nodded.

"I know. No one does, at first. Unfortunate as it is, everyone here has seen that before. You and Hinami were the only ones who hadn't. Now, just Hinami."

Kaneki drew in a breath.

"I hope she doesn't have to see that for a long time."

Yoshimura nodded gravely.

"As do I."


	9. Chapter 9

The next day, Kaneki ditched Tsukiyama and went on a walk around the city. It was busy, people bumping into him at every turn. But that was perfect. He needed the feeling that you can only find in a crowd just like that. The feeling of being alone in your head, cut off and distant from everyone despite the people knocking into you and shouting in your ear. When noon approached, Kaneki found a nice windowsill to sit on. He had wandered into the tourist trap that was the flea market. Vendors lined the street, selling various knick-knacks and foods, everything from pineapples to gloves to hunks of graphite shaped like sea shells and switchblades. The market was fn to watch. All sorts of people came by. He watched a woman and her daughter go up to one of the fruit stands to get a basket of apples. The old vendor peered suspiciously at the young child, like he was afraid she would take something. He glanced off to his left at something. Kaneki followed his gaze and saw a multitude of police drones. He sighed and looked around, searching for the suits that would indicate one of the technicians for them was around. He found a few, two men sitting under a sakura tree and a woman talking to one of the vendors. His lip curled in automatic disgust at them and he turned away. One of the police droids rolled away from the pack, heading towards a stall in the corner. Kaneki glanced at it, noticing the vendor was gone and there seemed to be a boy trying to take advantage of that. He was looking around himself nervously, probably checking for droids. Kaneki waited for the boy to see the one headed towards him and stop, but that didn't happen. To his surprise, the bot stopped a little ways away from the boy, waiting. The boy grabbed one of the items, shoved it in his pocket and began to walk away casually. Now the bot took off, lights flashing. Kaneki stared at it. It felt as if his whole world had shifted. He had gone more than a decade and a half believing the society he lived in was fair and just, and the robots an ingenious invention to keep society in order. Now, in just two days, he had seen with his own eyes (or rather his own eye plus one of Rize's). The robot did nothing to stop the boy from committing the crime, despite its protocols clearly being enough to alert it that a crime was about to take place. It would be exceedingly simple to add on an extra bit of software so the robot could go up to the boy and tell him not to do something. It was just more convenient for them to not have it do anything, huh? Less protocols to manage, less potential bugs to be fixed. No wonder most people avoided the bots and the technicians. Kaneki sighed again. Who designed this system? What was their goal? Did they realize how corrupted their ideals had become, how warped and twisted they were? It seemed like someone would realize what had happened, figure out that something had gone wrong. But nobody had seemed to. Kaneki wondered why the government did nothing about this. Wasn't there some law that would be at least somewhat applicable to this type of thing? Probably not directly relating to robots, but still. Kaneki thought about it. Maybe one day he could go to the capitol and complain or something.

Shinohara sat in the office of one of the technicians for the bots. It was endlessly fascinating to him how the men and women could so easily input new codes, strange combinations of letters and number broken by slashes and underscore, framed by the little symbols that Shinohara was sure had a proper name but were always going to be the little less than and more than signs. He liked to know what they did, how they worked, etc. but often he would just get kicked out by an annoyed techie for asking questions and talking while they tried to work. So he had limited his time spent doing this to once a month and rotated through the employees, everyone taking a turn answering his questions for a day.

"So why do the robots only punish crimes?"

He asked. The last man he had observed had been very proud of how well the arrest part of the droids' protocols worked, but had still complained about them not being able to prevent crimes. The man he was with now shrugged.

"Because they're droids. They don't have the capacity to understand intention."

Shinohara frowned at the man's back.

"Couldn't you give them enough programs to be able to respond to social cues in the environment to simulate understanding?"

The man grumbled and bit his lip, half turning to distractedly look at him.

"That's going into the realm of AI, Artificial Intelligence. Without a working, live human brain as the base program, that kind of technology is not possible right now. And using a human brain would require the brain be separated from the body but still kept alive and transferred into a container, which essentially constitutes human experimentation. Which, as you know, is illegal."

Shinohara sighed.

"Fine then. I'll leave now, and stop bugging you."

As he turned to exit the room, the technician called out to him.

"Shinohara-san? If you want, check the labs downstairs. I believe they have a new type of droid you might like."

Shinohara nodded and made a quiet noise of assent before going into the hallway. He made his way down to the labs, finding his mood brightening and curiosity peaking with every step closer to his target. When he entered the lab, it was the usual chaos. Spare metal parts lay around, the five or six scientists- more like black market engineers or doctors- bustled around the room, shouting over the sounds of welding and sawing to each other. On the counter in the middle of the chaos, a for was beginning to take shape, sort of. Jointed legs, two angled towards the head and two angled towards the rear. A round object that was connected to a camera sat on the table, unconnected to the rest of the bot. The round object looked to be a smooth, spherical lense, a cone inside of the glass allowing for a program to stitch the images into one smooth continuous scene. The metal shell that would eventually house the eye sat on the table next to it, small indents for the eyes. There were eight pits in total, four big enough to fit eyes the size of Shinohara's fist and positioned around the head. The other four were the size of the eye on the table, tangerine sized, and positioned above the four main eyes to act as back up. If all of the eyes had the 270 degree vision they were designed to have, it would be exceedingly difficult to sneak up on it. The programming for the sensory portion would have to be complex, however, since Shinohara imagined the fields of vision for the eyes would likely overlap.

"How soon is this going to be ready for the feild?"

Shinohara stopped the closest scientist to ask. The disheveled looking woman shrugged.

"A day, a few hours? I don't know, shouldn't be long though."

Shinohara nodded.

"What's the purpose?"

She smiled.

"To help you guys, of course! They're supposed to assist with fighting those rebels. Basically, facial recognition software would be applied to their data banks and then they would be set loose in the city. Once they find a match, they would destroy it. It should make your job much easier!"

Shinohara stiffened as she hurried off again, his mind automatically finding problems. What if the bots couldn't distinguish the actual rebels from look alikes in the city? Facial recognition software had made dramatic improvements since its' invention, but their data banks had only a few pictures of the rebels, hardly enough to make a full, complete facial construction for the bots. There was a high chance of mistakes being made and civilians being injured. Shinohara mentally shrugged it off, choosing to believe that the CCG knew what it was doing and had the only the best in mind for each individual citizen.

After Shinohara left the office of the technition, the man sent an email to his superiors. He didn't know why, just that when he had been promoted to work on the robots directly, he had been instructed to inform them if anyone ever started to question the whats and whys of the robots. Of course, he knew full well that it would be a simple matter to add crime preventative measures to the code, but this was one of the taboos of his job. It woudn't work perfectly, in fact there would be many issues with the software because of the aforementioned limitations on robot comprehension, but it would at least e something. He had stopped questioning it a while ago. It didn't really affect him, after all. He never would commit a crime anyway, and this job paid a little too well for him to care about strangers.

A notification popped up on the side of a computer screen. The owner of the computer, a man by the name of Marude opened it. He frowned. So Shinohara was poking his nose into things he shouldn't, huh? He'd have to make sure the man didn't go looking any further. It was important to keep society functioning exactly as it did now. If people were prevented from committing crimes, then the evil people who harboured the potential in their hearts to do bad would never be weeded out of the population. As long as the bots continued to function the way they did now, society would eventually straighten itself out and evolve into a peaceful, carefree population that depended entirely on the CCG for protection and governing. The unnecessary members of society would be killed. Anyone with defects, such as depression, addiction, physical deformities, learning disabilities or those who were lazy and didn't work to earn their keep were... disposed of, so to speak. No laws would be broken, everyone would have money and standing in society. It would be a utopia. A sustainable economy centred around his business, ensuring its continued survival. The perfect plan.

Notes:

Well, shit's going down, guys. A lot of shit.

-Uta


End file.
